The Amazing Technicolor Love

Flights #13

Jack's POV

"Fuck you, Jack Gilinsky. I never want to see you again." Peyton said at me with narrowed eyes and a harsh tone in her voice. Next thing I knew, the door was slammed in my face. I took a sharp inhale. I shouldn't have been surprised with her reaction. What did I expect her to do when I showed up at her house and told her I had slept with other girls? I glanced down at my watch before looking around. Before I had even gotten on the plane that morning, I had made a promise with myself. I wasn't going back on tour without Peyton. I couldn't give up. Not yet.

Peyton's POV

I slammed the door in Jack's face. I couldn't believe he had the nerve to show up at my house, begging for me to come back when he had slept with multiple other girls. I felt sick. It was a physical pain to hear that Jack had been with other girls so easily. I couldn't even kiss my damn ex without feeling downright awful, how could he have slept around? There was a mixture of pure anger and hurt boiling inside of me. All I knew for sure was that I truly did not want to see him again. It hurt too much to look at him. I hadn't realized I was sitting down, leaning against the front door with my head in my hands until Grace came down the stairs. "Pey?" she asked gently. I heard her approach me, I didn't even have the energy to lift my face up. "Pey, what's the matter? What happened?" she asked while sitting down next to me. "Jack's outside," I managed to mumble. Grace wrapped her arm around me. "What did he say?" she asked. "He begged for me back while telling me he slept with other girls," I told her, tears beginning to stream down my face. Grace pulled me closer against her. "Shhh, Peyton. It's okay, it's okay, I'm here." She said while rubbing my arm. "Come on, why don't you go upstairs?" Grace asked while helping me up. I reluctantly stood up. "Go upstairs, I'll bring us up some ice cream." She told me. I listened but I knew she wasn't getting us ice cream. I made my way upstairs while Grace walked out the front door. Jack was sitting on the front porch. I stopped in the hallway and looked out the window. I couldn't hear what Grace said but I could tell she was angry. Her hands were flying in the air and Jack didn't say anything to her. When she finally stopped yelling and stormed back inside, Jack made no effort to leave. He continued sitting on the porch. Grace walked into the foyer then and saw me looking outside. "Hey, I thought I told you to go to your room," she said. I just nodded and continued walking. Every part of me was confused. Jack sat outside of my house, begging for me back, so why did he ever sleep with anyone else? I couldn't wrap my head around what he was thinking. All I could think was that he didn't truly love me. I walked into my room and crawled back into bed. A few minutes later, Grace came in with two tubs of ice cream and spoons. "Okay, let's have a Netflix kind of day." She demanded while crawling into bed next to me. I gave her a smile. Grace was my savior during times like these.

Jack's POV

I glanced at my watch. It read four o'clock. I sighed. I had been sitting on Peyton's front porch for four hours. I felt stuck. I couldn't leave without her but what was I supposed to do if she wouldn't come out? I didn't want to bother her too much, I had already tried ringing the doorbell and been ignored. Grace had come out and told me to leave twice and then gave up. Every part of me was desperate for Peyton but I knew she didn't feel the same. It was so difficult to silence the voice in my head that was telling me to try harder. I knew I couldn't overstep my boundaries because if I did I would upset Peyton even more. As I sat there looking out at the yard, at war with myself, Mandy pulled into the driveway. I sat up. My mind raced with possibilities of how she may react to seeing me. She put the car in park and took her time getting her things out of the backseat. For a moment, I thought that she didn't notice me on the front porch but when she locked the car, she turned and walked towards me. Mandy and I always had a great relationship but this time I felt incredibly nervous to see her. I opened my mouth to speak but no words came out. "Does she know you're here?" was all Mandy said as she walked up to the porch and set her bags down. I swallowed hard and nodded. Mandy didn't say anything but rather sat down in the chair next to the one I was in. For a while, it was quiet between us. She looked out at the yard that was vibrant green. The whole neighborhood was lined with trees and flowers. The past few hours I had memorized all the details. I imagined little Peyton growing up here. Playing in this front yard with Grace and Ryan, walking down the road to the bus stop, running down the street to the tree she always sat in to think. I imagined her playing in the snow and learning how to ride her bike on the sidewalk out front. I gazed at the surrounding houses. They were all huge and beautiful. I was jealous that those neighbors got to watch Peyton grow up. I wish I had known her my whole life, witnessed her childhood. It was bittersweet to think of her dad. A tire swing hung on the tree in the front lawn. I could picture him pushing her on the swing. I felt like crying again. The girls I had slept with were nothing compared to Peyton. I wanted everything with her and it killed me to think girls who meant nothing could ruin that. Mandy began talking, jolting me from my thoughts. "We all make mistakes," she said, still staring in front of her. "Just because we do something bad, doesn't make us a bad person." She continued. I nodded. "She won't even look at me, Mandy." I said once I finally found my voice. Mandy turned to look at me. "Love is about giving chances when there are none left to give." Mandy said before standing up. "Don't beat yourself up, Jack. You two are both young. People make mistakes. All you can do now is try to fix it and the fact that you're here proves that you are trying, that's all you can do and unfortunately, that sometimes isn't enough." Mandy then opened the front door and walked inside, leaving me alone on the porch.

Peyton's POV

"He's still here," I heard my mom say as she walked into my room. "Welcome home," I said smiling. She smiled and crawled into bed with Grace and me. "I missed you two," she said. "Don't worry, I took good care of the two of us." Grace said proudly. We all laughed. "You sure you don't want to go see him?" My mom asked gently a few minutes later. "No, Mom. I'm positive on this one." I said. She just nodded. "Just make sure to think it through. You two have been through a lot and everyone makes mistakes-" I cut her off. "Letting me leave tour is a mistake. Sleeping with multiple other people is a choice. So yes, I've thought it through and I don't want to see him." I said. My mom didn't say anything more; she just wrapped her arm around me and let me cuddle into her neck. "Well, you'll always have us and we'll always choose you." Grace said. "Couldn't have said it better myself!" My mom said. I smiled. I was heartbroken but for the moment, I tried to forget about it, I tried to forget that Jack existed. I was content. I had my mom and best friend on either side of me while we cuddled in bed watching movies. It hurt like hell but I knew I could get on with my life. A life that did not consist of Jack Gilinsky.